Political heavyweights and civic leaders paid homage to former Gov. Hugh Carey yesterday, in a moving funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral that celebrated him as the man who saved New York during the 1970s fiscal crisis and as the proud patriarch of a large Irish Catholic family.

“As governor, he faced both a state and a city which, in the words of his friend Mayor Koch, were ‘headed toward the pit of bankruptcy,’ and he took the matter in hand with incredible skill and unlimited courage,” said Edward Cardinal Egan.

In his homily, Egan cited the Book of Ecclesiastes to describe Carey, 92, who died on Sunday, as an “illustrious man” of family, faith and service.

Relatives and friends also described a witty man who bore his weighty responsibilities with humor by frequently singing his favorite Irish songs and renditions of “New York, New York.”

Carey and his wife, Helen, reared 14 children in Park Slope; he leaves behind more than two dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Hugh Carey’s home was his castle in every sense, a castle where joy, compassion and affection reigned,” Egan said.

Mario Cuomo, who succeeded Carey as the state’s chief executive, called him “the most effective governor in our modern history.”

“He, in fact, saved New York City in the ’70s,” said Cuomo. “When he saved New York City, he saved New York state. He protected the honor of the whole country. Imagine what Moscow would have said if New York City went bankrupt.”

“It was a funeral for a prince,” said Ed Koch, who served with Carey in Congress and worked with him as mayor.

The NYPD Emerald Society, with a somber drum roll, led a procession of some three dozen Carey family members into the cathedral.

When the Mass ended, Carey’s coffin was draped in the American flag and was carried out by pallbearers as the Battle Hymn of the Republic played.

“He was a complete man,” Schumer said.

Carey’s children talked of a loving father who enjoyed arranging presents on Christmas Eve, playing Santa Claus, and reveling in their personal successes.

Before his election as governor, Carey served seven terms as a Brooklyn congressman.

He was a colonel in the 101st Cavalry of the National Guard during World War II, helping liberate Europe from the Nazis in battles across France, Holland and Germany.